A Wizard.
Another talented Wizard had become the Demon Wizard's disciple.
Ruger studied the bag of magic stones in his hand.
And apparently, this was a Wizard caught on a difficult problem, a relatively pure-minded Wizard with a powerful yearning in his heart. When that great Wizard arrived, he had conveyed that yearning well enough to receive the corresponding guidance.
That was very interesting.
Ruger had received guidance himself, so he understood the trick. It had to concern something he had pondered for a long time, something he had a powerful desire to understand, before he could receive guidance. There was another distinction, too: if his mind was stuffed with a jumble of countless questions, all of which he wanted answered to roughly the same degree, he would receive no response. To receive guidance, one question had to stand out enough, even tower above the others. It had to be the one he most desperately wanted to resolve at that moment.
And the man before him happened to meet that requirement. His thoughts were pure enough to earn a response from that visitor.
But that was not the interesting part. Ruger thought of another question that followed from this.
A vexing problem, a Wizard who had been stuck for a long time, and the appearance of that Taskmaster, who offered a measure of guidance. Everything seemed wonderful. This was an opportunity. Yet for someone truly trapped at a particular stage, or unable to advance along the Wizard's path without solving a certain problem, accepting that guidance also meant unknowingly accepting a heavy price.
A Wizard truly facing such a barrier could resolve the problem after receiving guidance, make progress, and continue onward. But anyone who failed to break through would no longer have the opportunity to endure being stuck. In